Fall is an amazing time of year, and a great time to spend with your family. Corn mazes, hay rides, pumpkin patches, there’s so much to do! There are some fun fall activities right here in the Coeur d’Alene & Spokane areas, in every price range that you can take advantage of to make some family memories!

Check out this neat list of things we found to do, and be sure to let us know if we missed anything so we can add it to the list!

Carver Farms is a great place to take your children, and come home with lots of yummy veggies that you pick yourselves at great prices! My kids had so much fun going through and picking the vegetables themselves, and they even seemed to enjoy eating them more!

They have hayrides every weekend, as long as the weather permits that the kids are sure to love. It’s not too often that the kids will get a chance to go on a real hay ride! There’s also authentic Mexican food and Kettle Korn on the weekends as well, so you can enjoy a special treat! They are now accepting credit and debit cards this year which is really nice for those of us that don’t carry cash! For location and farm hours click here for the Carver Farms Website!

Not in the mood for a movie? Pick from their large selection of pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. Pumpkin prices are: $2 for small, $4 for medium, and just $6 for a large pumpkin. Hungry? Grab some hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, french fries, funnel cakes, elephant ears, cotton candy, kettle corn, or a beverage at one of the concessions.

They also have some amazing corn cannons you can try your hand at! The compressed air cannon shoots cobs of corn further than the length of a football field! If you hit one of the targets, you win a prize!

Are you feeling up to a challenge? If so, you can try out the Maze Game. If you are able to find all 18 check points, you can enter to win a weekly prize! We went through these mazes and the kids loved finding each checkpoint! They also have a Tractor Tire Playground that was a HUGE hit with my twins, and a Straw Maze the kids can have fun climbing on! It’s not every day that they get to play on a playground of tractor tires! When you go at night you will also have access to the Field of Screams which is a separate 3.5 acre maze to scare those who dare to enter! (I wouldn’t bring the kiddos to the night time one).

This next thing isn’t really a frugal thing to do, but it’s definitely something that’s unique to our area and a great way to spend an evening out! If you’re looking for a great scare, the Scarywood Haunted Nights is just the thing for you. Scarywood is only recommended for kids age 12 and up, and it’s a huge hit with the teen and adult crowds! 3Dementia is the big draw at Scarywood. It’s a 3 dimensional attraction that features new scares and 3D illusions.

For our Spokane area readers, Green Bluff Growers is having their annual apple festival every weekend until October 26. The festival offers a great selection of cooking apples, fresh pressed cider, and other produce. This is great fun for the whole family with music, craft booths, corn and straw mazes, and wonderful food!

There are lots of things to do this fall, and I hope you take advantage of at least one of them. If you do, why not come back here and tell me what you thought! Have fun, and have a safe and happy fall! Also, we would love to hear if there are some things that we didn’t think of so we can add them to the list!

Coeur d’Alene area readers, are you looking for some Free Family fun? Head over to the CDA City Park Rotary Band Shell for a Free Outdoor Family Movie night provided by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department!

Here is the line up for theCoeur d’Alene Police Free Outdoor Movie Night of 2014:

July 19th -The Lego Movie

July 26th – The Nut Job

August 9th- Despicable Me 2

They will have presentations from Safe Kids of Kootenai County prior to the start of the movie, so be sure to arrive early! Movies start at dusk (around 8:00pm) in the CDA Rotary Bandshell area of the City Park. Bring the kids, lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and they will even provide Free Popcorn!

This sounds like an awesome way to spend the evening having some quality time with the kids that won’t cost anything but the memories will always stick with them! Be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss any of them!

As summer approaches one of the biggest things on most parents minds is how to occupy the kids home from school without breaking the bank. Here are 7 Inexpensive Kids Summer Activities that will help you to keep them occupied and your wallet in check this year. Check these out and grab your calendar to plan ahead for fun times for the whole family that will leave your kids excited for next years adventures. [Read more…]

Toward the end of every school year you can find recommended “summer reading” lists and great FREE programs to help keep your child reading all summer. Most kids balk at the idea of doing anything that resembles school during the summer months but reading doesn’t have to be on that list. Here are some easy tips on How To Encourage Your Kids To Read Over Summer Break. While every child is different in their maturity level, learning ability and individual interests this list includes several options that should apply to almost any child. [Read more…]

I just wanted to take a moment to with all of our wonderful readers a Happy Easter! I hope you have a fun day celebrating Easter with your families! After we go through the Easter Baskets we will be doing a big Easter Egg Hunt with the kids. It is so much fun to see their excitement for the holidays! Do you have any special traditions that you do with your family?

We are taking most of the day off with our families today, so no matter how you spend the day, I I hope you are able to create some neat family memories!

IDAHO EGG HUNTS:

Fernan Elementary School 520 N. 21st Coeurd’Alene. Saturday, April 19. The free event includes lunch at 1 p.m. and live music by Shelley and Dan Powers. The egg hunt for children through 12 years old will be at 2 p.m. Drawings for 11 bikes, gift cards and gift baskets will be held. Information: 772-7541.

Real Life Ministries Post Falls. Saturday, April 19th. Egg Hunts at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (bring a flashlight) on the east lawn of its Post Falls campus on Cecil Road.

Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene, 4000 N. Fourth, will have its Eggstravaganza at 10:30 a.m., April 19, for children as old as 12. More than 5,000 eggs will be hidden. Prizes available. Come early because the eggs go fast. Information: 667-3543.

Bayview will host its annual hunt sponsored by the chamber of commerce at 10:30 a.m., April 19, in the Bayview Community Center Gardens, 20298 E. Perimeter Road. For questions: njyesca6@gmail.com.

Worley Fire District will hold its annual Easter egg hunt April 19 at 1 p.m., at the Worley City Park, for children ages 2-10.

Sunday, April 29th:

Trinity Lutheran Church, 812 N. Fifth St., Coeur d’Alene, will host a hunt on Easter Sunday, April 20 at 10 a.m. The youth group at will serve breakfast. All are welcome. Information: Penny Weiss, 664-5743.

The North Idaho Men’s Rugby Club will hold a hunt in City Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Sunday at 1 p.m. sharp. There are three separate age divisions.

Thank you to the Cda Press for helping on this list of Idaho egg hunts!

WASHINGTON EGG HUNTS:

ONE, 15601 E. 24th Ave., Spokane Valley, WA50,000 eggs scattered across the field and playgrounds for the kids, along with jump castles, a petting zoo, face painting, pictures with the Easter Bunny and an awesome appearance of the Chipmunks! Make sure to bring your baskets for the egg hunt. Saturday, April 19th.

Join us for our 2nd Annual Go BIG Event at West Valley City School (Argonne & Valleyway)! We have expanded it from an Egg Hunt, and added a Carnival! We will have inflatables, free food, carnival games, and of course BIG prizes that have been donated by local businesses. With over 5000 eggs in 3 egg hunts, and the chance to win some BIG prizes, you are not going to want to miss out! April 19, 2014 – April 19, 2014 (4-6pm) Free. West Valley City School 8920 E Valleyway Ave Spokane Valley, WA 99212

Liberty Lake Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. Pavillion Park. The hunt is open to toddlers through fourth grade, but registration is required to participate. Registration, which is $3 per child or six plastic eggs filled with wrapped candy, takes place 5 to 8 p.m. April 14 and 4 to 6 p.m. April 16 at Liberty Lake Municipal Library. For more: 921-6746 or davis72205@hotmail.com

During the summer months I always have to get some fun activities lined up for my kiddos just so that I don’t lose my mind! I was completely thrilled when I found that Hayden Discount Cinemas is running a Family Summer Film Festival from June 13-August 21st!

They have passes available now to buy at the box office and $10 will get you into 10 (selected) movies + 2 Guest Passes (12 tickets). The $10 price is for one person to get in. If you have multiple kids, you will need to get the pass for each child. The passes do not have names on them, but are punched each time they come in. So if you are not able to go one week, you could let a neighbor use them that week. Each week, one movie is schedule to play every day of the week and weekend at 12 noon with additional times on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am! I love the flexibility of not having to choose between two mornings and having the times a little later in the day!

Pictured above is the listed schedule of the movies playing and the dates they are playing. For more information check out Hayden Discount Cinema’s online.

The Deal

$32 for one ticket to a Harlem Globetrotters game (up to $46.25 value)

When: Tuesday, February 18, at 7 p.m.

Where: Spokane Arena

Seating: row R, S, or T, section 103—105 or 115—117

Door time: 6 p.m.

Ticket values include all fees.

The Fine Print

Expires Feb 18th, 2014. Limit 8 per person. Redeem starting 2/18 for a ticket at venue will call. Must show valid ID matching name on Groupon at Spokane Arena. Refundable only on day of purchase. Must purchase together to sit together. Discount reflects Harlem Globetrotters’ current ticket prices-price may differ on day of the event. Doors open 1 hour before game time. For ADA accommodations, call box office promptly upon receipt of voucher – availability is limited. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.

We all love our little friend, Buddy the Elf on the Shelf! He is cute, mischievous and makes the children laugh most mornings! Over the past few years, we have been creating memories and a starting a new family tradition that will be passed down to our children…someday.

Waking up each morning brings a new surprise to your children’s face and it’s great to see. My favorite reactions are when our Buddy the Elf has been mischievous and he is mischievous more than he probably should be! The kids love it and think it is the most hilarious thing ever, plus it starts their morning on with a smile on their faces!

Each year, the hardest part of planning for all the fun our Elf on the Shelf will have through the holidays is coming up fresh ideas. So before the holiday season kicks off, I begin brainstorming ideas for our Elf, Buddy. This year I’ve come up with 30 Elf on the Shelf ideas that I hope your family enjoys with your little ones as well.

30 Elf on the Shelf Ideas for the Holidays

Colors in your child’s coloring book

Paints mustaches on all your family photos

Fishes for Goldfish in the toilet

Has a balloon party in your child’s room

Goes for a sleigh ride

Drops peppermints in the toilet because he had to go!

Writes a good-bye letter for Christmas Eve and leaves it in your child’s stocking (points out specific things they did through the month)

Spokane/Coeur d’Alene readers, you are going to want to get in on this great buy now so you can have something fun for the kids to do during Christmas Break! Right now we can grab a voucher to pay only $10 for 2 hours of jump time at Sky High Sports ($20.00 Value!!) We are always looking for something fun to do with the kiddos! I love it when we can let them enjoy themselves for half the cost, especially during spring break when it’s too cold to send them outside for too long!

Plus if you refer a friend, you will get a $10 credit when they their first purchase! You might be able to get your certificate for Free if a friend buys one!

When you get to the next page, it will show a different deal, just click on “All Deals” at the top of the screen and you will find the Sky High Sports Deal.